Electric-lamp socket



R. ECKSTEIN Jan. 5 1926.;

ELECTRIC LAMB SOCKET Filed March 16, 1922 ATTORNEY 'raeniea ian. 5,1926.

- 1 UNITED STATES,

4. 1,568,815. FATE-N ELECTRIC-LAMP SOCKET.

Application filedMarch 16,1922. Serial No. 544,111.

ToaZZ whom, 225 may concern:

for decorative purposes as in Christmas tree outfits and the like.

One object of this invention is to provide a miniature electric lampsocketin which the partsare readily assembled and disassembled andcomparatively cheap to manufacture.

Another object is to provide a device of the character describedcomprised of comparatively cheap materials and parts and having meansfor insuring positive contact between the lamp and the socket.

v A still further object is to provide a device of the characterdescribed which shall be cheap in construction and neverthelesseflicient in operation to a high degree.

A Other objects of this invention will in part be obvious and in parthereinafter pointed out.

' .elements and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in theconstruction hereinafter dsecribed and of which thesco'pe'of.application will be indicated in the followmg claims. p

In the accompanying drawings, in which is shown one of various possibleillustrative,

embodiments of this invention,

Fig; 1 is a vertical cross-section of 'a lampsocket embodying myinvention shown with an electric lamp in place therein;

Fig. 2 is adetail cross-sectional View taken along line 2--2 of Fig. 1.

Referring in detail to the drawing, 10 indicates a miniature lainp'having the plug connection portion 11 comprised of the usual outer screwcontact shell 12 and the contact disc 13 suitably insulated therefrom.The socket comprises a "suitably shaped body. portion 14: of cheap,easily workable material, such for example as wood, and having acentrally disposed cylindrical opening 15 therein for housing the. partsof the'contact making device. The

The invention accordinglyconsists in the features of construction,combinations of r OFFICE.

REUBEN ncxs'rzem, on NEW Yomr, 'N. Y.

latter consists of a screw contact shell 16 fitted into the upperportion'of the opening 15 and, frictionally held therein. One of thelead wires such as 17 is electrically con-' nected to this shell 16, asby soldering, as at 17' so that when the plug portion 11 of the lamp isscrewed thereinto the lamp is connected to one side of the supply.

Located in the lower portion of the openmg 15 is a disc 18 of insulatingmaterial in which is frictionally held a contact piece 19 connected tothe other side of the supply by the other lead wire 20. This contactpiece ispositionedas to be disposed beneath the contact disc 13 of thelamp so as to make contact therewith. A spring member 21 is held betweenthe bottomwvall 22 of the.

opening 15 and insulating disc 18- so that its tension acts on thelatter to urge the contact piece 19 against the contact disc, 13 whenthe lampis screwed into the socket thus insuring positive contact.

.A central opening 23 is provided in the bottom of the socketwherethrough the lead wire 17 passes into the opening 15. A similaropening 24 is provided for the lead wire .17 and the latter extends intothe socket through a semi-cylindrical groove 25 formed in the side-wallof the opening 15 as will be clear from Fig. 2. This groove 25 runs inclose proximity to the shell 16 so 'that thellead wire 17 is confinedbetween the shell and the "groove and held in position.

. If desired, an opening 26 may be provided near the end of'the bodyportion of the socket whereby the latter may be secured to a supportsuch as a pin 27 extending from the limb of the Christmastree.

It will be noted that the contact making parts, that is the shell 16 andthe disc 18 together with its contact piece 19 and' the spring member 21are all in separate pieces that may be readily assembled in positionwithin the opening 15 and removed therefrom as desired The shell 16,while of such diameter as to fit snugly into the opening 15 maynevertheless be lifted out by prying'with a pin 01 other suitable toolin serted into the counter-sunk annular space- 15*, or .may be removedwhen the lamp is screwed thereinto by pulling on the lamp. The disc 18together with its contact piece may then be taken out through theopening 15. In this way, the parts may be repaired or replaced asdesiredwithout much diffiliG culty and Without injuring'the body of thesocket.

It will thus be seen that there is provided a device in which theseveral objects of this invention are achieved and which .is welladapted to meet the conditions ofpractical use.

As various possible embodiments might be made of the above invention andas various changes might be made in the embodiment above set forth, itis to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in theaccompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in alimiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent 1. An electric lamp socket comprising a body portionhaving a recess, a screw contact shell fitted into said recess, acontact member carried on a movable disc beneath the shell, and a springhoused in said recess beneath said disc adapted to urge said disc andmember toward the shell, said disc normally spacing the contact memberfrom said shell and serving to engage said shell for retaining saidmember within the recess below said shell.

2. An electric lamp socket comprising an insulated body portion having arecess, a contact making part fixedly fitted in an open end of therecess, and a spring pressed contact-making part carried on a movableinsulated disc beneath the first mentioned part, said disc slidinglyfitted in said recess to hold said contact making parts in spacedrelation, said first mentioned part adapted to engage said disc forretaining the other part within the recess.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

REUBEN ECKSTEIN.

